Could you dream up a murder more fiendish than an Agatha Christie? Or do you yearn to write romance and fantasy that would give Sarah J Maas a run for her money? From wrangling wayward plots to polishing that final draft, these clever platforms can help get your story onto the page.
Plot twist
You’ve been cooking up a killer story for years. Now it’s time to put pen to paper or, rather, fingers to keyboard. Plottr is designed to help turn that jumble of characters, scenes and brilliant plot twists into something resembling an actual book.
Think of it as a digital corkboard for your story. Its visual timelines let you drag and drop scenes and map out plots while a “story bible” keeps track of characters, places and all those details you really don’t want to forget by chapter 27. If you’re not sure where to begin, there are 30-plus templates based on established storytelling structures to help get things moving.
Writers who prefer to fly by the seat of their pants can use it to organise and untangle a story as it develops. Novelists are the obvious audience, but Plottr also works for screenwriters and playwrights. It costs around R1,000 for a year, but if plot holes are your nemeses, this could be money well spent. Plottr.com
Readers at the ready
Part reading app, publishing platform and social network, Wattpad has been giving aspiring writers somewhere to share their work since 2006. Anyone can upload a story, chapter by chapter, for free, while readers can vote, comment and even leave reactions on specific lines or paragraphs. For writers, the instant feedback can be both addictive and genuinely useful: you quickly discover which characters, plot twists and passages are hitting the mark.
There’s also the tantalising possibility of being discovered. Wattpad has produced some serious success stories, including After and The Kissing Booth, both of which made the leap from online stories to published books and films. Teen comedy romance The Kissing Booth was written by Beth Reekles and turned into a film by Vince Marcello. Popular writers can also attract publishing deals, and Wattpad has its own publishing arm.
The reality check? With millions of stories competing for attention, finding readers can be tough. Wattpad also skews decidedly young, with romance, YA and fan fiction ruling the roost. It’s free to use, with optional subscriptions starting at around R100 a month. wattpad.com
Book smart
So, you’ve written the thing. Now what? Reedsy Studio is a web-based writing and production tool where you can plan, write and organise your manuscript, then turn the finished product into something that looks like a book.
For would-be self-publishers, that last bit is particularly handy. Studio can typeset your manuscript and export it as an EPUB or print-ready PDF without requiring you to become an expert in book design along the way.
Studio is also part of the much bigger Reedsy ecosystem. Its marketplace connects writers with professional editors, ghostwriters, cover designers and marketing experts. There are also free courses, publishing resources and writing competitions.
The best bit? Studio’s core writing, formatting and publishing tools are free. Optional premium features start at around R80 a month, while hiring a professional through the Reedsy Marketplace is charged separately. Reedsy.com
